The Reunification Debate in British Southern Cameroons

This book is a succinct account of the role immigrants from French Cameroon played in the Reunification politics in the Southern Cameroons. The study reveals that these ìstrangersî organised themselves in Pressure Groups in order to fight for equal opportunities with the indigenes and when such opportunities were not coming, they initiated the Reunification Idea, propagated it and converted many reluctant Southern Cameroonians. They militated in pro-reunification political parties such as the KNC, KNDP, UPC and OK and successfully shifted the reunification idea from the periphery to the centre of Southern Cameroons decolonisation politics. The immigrants convinced the UN through petitions and reunification which was the most unpopular option for independence became one of the two alternatives at the 1961 plebiscite. They and the reluctant KNDP campaigned and voted for it. The Reunification of Cameroon was therefore the handiwork of French Cameroon immigrants.

Cover

Title Page, Copyright Page

Contents

Acknowledgement

This book is the outcome of a research work for the terminal
degree started in 2008. The objective was to investigate the role
“settlers” from French Cameroon played in the decolonisation
politics of the British Southern Cameroons. Following a..

Introduction

The contact between the peoples of Africa and European
civilization greatly changed the phase of the African continent.
By the last decades of the nineteenth century, almost all of
Africa had been placed under European rule and domination...

Chapter 1.
The Anglo-French Partition of Cameroon

When the First World War started in Europe in 1914, Imperial
Germany wished to confined it to Europe and to neutralize the
colonies. The motive was not to scandalize the Africans with the
spectre of the white man fighting his brother. At first the Belgian...

Chapter 2. Immigrations, Settlements and Occupations of French
Cameroon Immigrants

Several factors led to the immigration of many French
Cameroonians to the Southern Cameroons after the First World War.
These factors could be examined under the push and pull forces of
the exodus. These push and pull forces were the considerations that...

Chapter 4. French Cameroon Immigrants and the Reunification
Idea

Many authors have written on the reunification of the Southern
Cameroons and the Republic of Cameroon effectively achieved in
1961. The most outstanding of these scholars are; M. Z. Njeuma. B.
Chem-Langhëë, Le Vine, Claude Welch, E. Chiabi, D. Gardinier, J....

Chapter 5. French Cameroon Immigrants and Reunification
Politics

During the Mamfe conference that held from May 22 to 25, 1953,
Robert Jabea Kum Dibongue and Dr Emmanuel Endeley agreed to
merge their political associations, the KUNC and the CNF
respectively and this resulted in the formation of the Kamerun...

Chapter 6.
French Cameroonians and The Plebiscite, 1959-1961

French Cameroon immigrants, political refugees and political leaders
visiting the Southern Cameroons actively participated in and
promoted the reunification debate from 1956. As the reunification
drive disappeared amongst Southern Cameroonians following...

When the plebiscite alternatives were published, the KNDP and the
CPNC started negotiating with the Republic of Cameroon and the
Federation of Nigeria respectively on what form of political system
or union to be adopted. John Ngu Foncha and Ahmadou Ahidjo...

Chapter 8.
General Conclusion

The First World War brought considerable suffering to the colonized
peoples of Cameroon. It caused enormous social, economic and
political dislocation and inspired increase resistance to Imperial
institutions. Germany lost Cameroon and all its other African...

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